Socialist Republic of Vietnam

ANSWER BY MOFA’S SPOKESPERSON, MR. LE DZUNG, TO CORRESPONDENTS ON NOVEMBER 6th , 2003


AP: Please advise reaction to the recent decision by the US army to reopen investigation into the killing of Vietnamese civilians by a Tiger force unit? The Toledo Blade reveals that 2 members of the unit might be prosecuted. Is Vietnam supportive of the prosecution?

REUTERS: Can you please comment on a report from a US newspaper that says Vietnam’s military is investigating the war crimes committed by the Tiger Force unit.

Answer:

Our position on this has been clearly stated. The consequences of the US war of aggression that the Vietnamese people have been enduring remain severe and huge. The US should bear spiritual and moral responsibility in settling the war consequences.

Barbarous killing of innocent Vietnamese civilians by some American soldiers, including the incident recently covered in the US press, is a crime. It violates international laws and causing indignation to the public. The losses and sufferings that the victims and their families have experienced cannot be made up for. It is my understanding that the US public have many times expressed sympathy to the victims and raised requests of what should be done to help bring justice to the victims and prevent the recurrence of similar crimes in the future.

We always memorize and share the sufferings and losses endured by our countrymen, the families of the massacre victims. The Vietnamese Government is doing its utmost to relieve the pain borne by our people in these localities.

Prompted by humane and peace-loving traditions, in our relations with the US as well as with other countries which once embraced hostility towards Vietnam, we advocate shelving the past and looking forward to the future. It is also our policy to, through cooperation, strengthen mutual understanding, encourage better bilateral relations and thereby forming foundation for the settlement of consequences from the past.